A blog about my passion for Wildlife, the places we go and what we see.

Saturday, 24 August 2013

Who Am I?

I thought I would add a bit of an introduction to who I am, maybe a bit weird after I've already done 9 posts though.:)

Most people who know me know of my illnesses and hence the blog name but I do suffer from psoriatic arthritis for the last 6 years and over the past year have been diagnosed with rhinitus which is causing breathing problems.I also have tinnitus which if you're a birder is obviously not a helpful thing to have.My partner Majella luckily is learning bird songs so can tell me "Oh!, there's a blackcap singing over there" even though I cannot hear it myself.If I'm stood next to a hedge full of house sparrows then I can usually hear something.lol

I am a member of the RSPB, BTO, Butterfly Conservation, Wildlife Trusts and also a member of Yorkshire Wildlife Park who are running conservation programs to help save various species such as the Amur Tiger and Painted Dogs and who have the largest leopard enclosure in the world.

I live in North Lincolnshire though would prefer the west coast of Scotland;)I have always been interested in wildlife from watching the early wildlife on one programs and yes I am old enough to remember the great Johnny Morris.Unfortunately my family were not interested in nature so I never got taken out to a zoo as a child never mind any reserves.We didnt even have bird feeders as mum said they trampled on her plants.lol.I did however get to go to a place called pets corner on a school trip.It may have only been feeding goats and wallabies but it was a great experience to see the animals.

As soon as was possible I started trips to Scotland and the local reserves around Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, RSPB Blacktoft Sands & Messingham Sand Quarry being our nearest.Its great to see more children walking around the reserves now, although slightly annoying as 10 year olds seem to have better equipment than I can afford.lol.It was amazing looking through some scopes at the Rutland Birdfair worth £1500+ and see the difference from my £30 Luyi scope.lolUntil yesterday I had an £80 lens but managed to pick up a Canon 100-400mm so hopefully my photography might improve a little.(Thanks to Mark):)
On a trip to Scotland about 8 years ago.

Still haven't managed to get overseas though to see some of the amazing wildlife around the world, Alaska & British Columbia 2 of the places I have always wanted to see.Maybe get there one day like Johnny Kingdom:)

Okay thats probably bored everybody for long enough so I am just going to add a few website links of some amazing sites by wonderful people who do great things for the wildlife community and conservation.Some I have known for years and some more recent meetings through our mutual love and passion for the natural world.

http://birdingforall.com/
Helping disabled people have the chance to see our wonderful nature around our reserves.

www.biotope.no
A stunning looking place in Arctic Norway(which I hope to visit) where Tormod and his team have designed and created amazing nature projects to help people experience the stunning bird life in the area.

http://www.jasonridgephotography.com/
Another online friend with very similar interests.Check out his amazing blogs and photography